Piece of My Heart

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel

New York : Amulet Books, 2010.

vii, 120 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 27 cm.

This is another outstanding biography for young people, which again confirms my suspicion that the best biographies are those written for young adults. I'm thinking e.e. cummings, Georgia O'Keeffe, Yoko Ono, etc. One of the strengths is that these biographies are lean and specific - and if (as in the case of this biography of Janis Joplin) they include great photos and graphics then it's hard to put them down.  

I really liked the breezy and yet serious tone of this biography.  Breezy, in that it tries to convey the liberating influence of the times (1960s) and the excitement of a talented woman coming into her own, but serious in following Joplin's struggles with bullying and boredom as a teen, insecurity as a rising star, and addiction as she became extremely famous (addiction that would kill her by overdose as a young woman).

I also enjoyed learning about Joplin's roots in Port Arthur, Texas, and her rise to fame based solely on her natural talent and hard work developing that talent. It's really hard to believe that she did not come from any musical or singing background.  I also appreciated reading about the widespread and fertile cultural landscape of the 60s as cafes, music venues, and coffeeshops proliferated. 

It's a sad story, too, of course as we follow Joplin's phenomenal rise to fame, the encouragement of excesss from fans and the industry, and her battle with alcoholism and heroin addiction - a wicked combination that would prove to be fatal to her when she was still very young.   

It's a super biography that I would recommend. Oh, and the title of this post, is the title of one of her well-known songs.

 

Just Kids in a Lost City

Just Kids by Patti Smith
New York : Ecco, c2010.
xii, 278 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time to New York City in the late 60s or early 70s? Wouldn't it be something to hang out with struggling artists around the Chelsea Hotel, or to meet with some of the successful artists of the time, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Allen Ginsburg or Andy Warhol?

You can take just such a magic trip with renowned punk/rock/poet Patti Smith.  In her National Book Award winning memoir, Just Kids, she takes you with her when she was an unknown hopeful writer moving to the city from New Jersey

Her memoir is as much about her growth as an artist as it is about her rich relationship - as lover, collaborator, friend and confidant - with the late and famous photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe.

I would definitely recommend this autobiography to any student interested in the artistic life, in Rock and Roll, in the 60s and 70s, in women's history, in LGBT history, or in NYC.  I'd also recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a well written memoir.

Ahead of Her Time

Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies by Nell Beram and Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky
New York : Amulet Books, 2013.
177 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 27 cm.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did - and additionally, I learned a lot from reading it.

This is the second biography of a woman artist I've read this year, having read - and quite enjoyed - the biography of Georgia O'Keefe back in October.  In Collector of Skies, I really enjoyed discovering what an avant garde artist Yoko Ono was.  She really was a pioneer in the areas of conceptual and performance art.  The book has really nice reproductions of several of her installations, along with great archival photos from her work in the 1960s and 1970s (along with more recent photos).

Beram and Boriss-Krimsky's biography does a great job of detailing the interesting love, artistic and antiwar collaboration between Yoko and the mega-famous John Lennon while keeping the focus squarely on Yoko Ono's life and accomplishments. 

To me, the great strength of this book, is that not only do the authors provide a great deal of information about the life of Ono - her artistic, political and intellectual growth, and her personal life - but they manage to make it a very moving story, too.  I found myself lost in the joy and liberation that Yoko felt on meeting Lennon and realizing that he was someone who truly understood her work.  I also found myself near to tears reading about the murder of John in December of 1980, outside their Central Park apartment.

This book is a great introduction to the life and times of an important artist and pop figure.  I will definitely recommend it to students who might be interested.

Don't Miss This Trane

A Love Supreme: the Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album by Ashley Kahn
New York : Viking, 2002.
xxiii, 260 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.

I picked up this book at a library book sale this year and read it as someone who likes jazz, but frankly is pretty ignorant about many aspects of jazz.  The book was a treat in that it is very accessible for the lay person interested in jazz, but also makes many references to various jazz artists, techniques, movements, recording studios, etc.  In this way it expanded my limited knowledge, tempted me to learn more, but managed not to overwhelm me - not bad! Kahn's book really conveys the heady times that the mid-1960s were for jazz - and explains why A Love Supreme is one of the iconic albums in the history of jazz.

I really enjoyed learning about John Coltrane's rise to fame - his rigorous practice habits, his brilliance as a performer and composer, his addiction and recovery from heroin, his work with Miles Davis, his role as leader of the quartet that created A Love Supreme, and sadly, his premature death from cancer in 1967. 

It was especially fun to listen to the album - which I bought from iTunes - while reading this book.  Chapter 3 of the book (p. 83-127) provides a thoughtful analysis of the album, section by section, so it serves in effect as a listener's guide. Though not necessary, I'd definitely recommend that readers get their hands on a copy of Coltrane's album to enjoy while they read this fine book.